The Real Hero
by princesslissie13
Summary: Clark Kent is something special. But Claire Williams knew that before he was Superman. Follow their story as Claire struggles to keep up with the super-speed of her hero. Written as a one-shot but will most likely turn into something more. Set in MoS universe. Clark/OC.
1. Do You Need a Ride?

**Author's note:** Just a disclaimer to those who are new joining this story: My updates will be random and sporadic, and I am not sure how long I will be able to continue writing it, but I will do my best to finish this story. I apologize for any grammatical or spelling errors; usually I write right before I go to bed so I am usually half asleep. Please enjoy this story!

**CHAPTER 1**

Clark was staring intently out the schoolroom window, straining his overly-powerful sight and vision as far as he could because he thought he heard a woman screaming somewhere very far away. He squinted and stretched in his chair, eyes trained intently in the direction of the noise.

"Clark, are you paying attention?"

Clark's head snapped forward to face his teacher. He could feel the eyes of almost every eleventh-grader in the room on him. He blushed, embarrassed, and ducked his head briefly, then lifted it back up to speak.

"No, ma'am, I'm sorry ma'am," he apologized timidly. She sighed but gave a tiny smile of forgiveness. "May I please use the restroom?" Clark asked softly. The teacher nodded. He gratefully stood up and bolted for the door.

However, Clark Kent did not head towards the tiny bathroom on the left end of the hall.

He ran towards the exit on the right side of the building, gaining speed as he went. He burst out of the swinging wooden doors and into the outside playground and paused for a second, allowing his ears to give him more information about the location of the screaming woman. She let out another yell and, now knowing the location of the sound, Clark took off into the air like a rocket ship blasting off from Earth.

~O~

Claire Williams watched Clark leave the classroom with curious eyes, looking like he was in somewhat of a hurry. She frowned slightly as she pondered his sudden departure.

She was advanced compared to the rest of her eleventh-grade friends, so she picked up on some subtle details that other kids at that age glazed over, most of these facts concerning Clark Kent. For example, Clark would frequently use the bathroom at random times during the day. Most of the day he was focused on his lessons, but occasionally he would be caught looking out the window, focused intently on something no one else could see. Shortly after these daydreaming episodes (perhaps not daydreaming; he seemed much too focused on what he was thinking about for that), he would asked to leave the room for one reason or another, claiming things like "the bathroom" or "the nurse".

Another thing she noticed was that kids would openly pick on him for being a "freak". Claire was never one of those individuals. She was the type of girl who would have to excuse herself from the room when the ASPCA commercials came on the TV to cry.

She was very sensitive of other people's emotions as well; it was somewhat of an instinct to her. She could always tell what other people were feeling when she observed them or when they talked to her. Every exchange she had ever had with Clark Kent had been polite and non-freakish, but she could sense an undercurrent of sadness in his voice and his cerulean blue eyes.

Being a quiet girl who preferred to hide behind her brown curly locks rather than talk to people, and Clark being much of the same, she found that she could relate to him even though they didn't know each other very well. So she could not for the life of her understand why kids thought of him as a freak. She heard whispered rumors of strange things Clark Kent may have done, or strange places that he may have been found in, but in no way was that any of their business, but also, those were some of the lesser things you could do to designate you to "freak status". The kids who picked their nose and ate it were better liked than poor Clark (which was really saying something, because those goons were disgusting).

Claire surmised that Clark took these "bathroom breaks" to collect himself. She guessed that it must be horrible to be teased every day for no reason, and sometimes, he needed a break from the prying and judging eyes he faced in the classroom. The thought made her heart ache.

'How lonely it must be,' she thought, 'to be alone in this world like he is.' Then a thought struck her. 'Today will be the day that I will talk to Clark.' She mentally berated herself for not deciding to talk to him sooner. She would have felt horrible if it was her that got teased every day and had no friends.

Clark walked back into the classroom at that moment, his shirt untucked and his hair looking a bit messy. He sat just across the aisle from her, so when he sat down she caught his eye and smiled at him. He shyly smiled back at her and gave a tiny wave. She couldn't help but admire his bright blue eyes and friendly dimples. Unfortunately, her heart couldn't help but noticing those things either, as it beat just a bit faster. Her grin widened as a light blush crept up her neck and cheeks. Then they both turned back to face the teacher, Claire biting her lip and trying to restrain herself from looking at him again, and Clark trying to prevent his grin from getting wider.

~O~

The rest of Claire's day passed by uneventfully. But she couldn't get Clark's smile out of her head for the remainder of the day, so she had trouble focusing on her classes. She made up her mind in sixth period that she would try to find him after school. Nervous energy filled her, and the last bell of the day came much too quickly for her liking. She took her time at her locker, almost hoping she would be too slow for him and she would miss her chance. She took extra time filling up her blue backpack and spent even more time checking her reflection in the bathroom mirror, adjusting her curly hair and fixing her blouse. She dusted off her vans for invisible specks of dust and made sure her jean pockets weren't turned inside out.

But luck wasn't (or was) on her side, because she found him still at his locker as she rounded the corner on her way out of the building. She glanced at him and bit her bottom lip anxiously, and walked right past him. But she slowed her footsteps until she came to a stop, then abruptly turned around and walked back to him. She took a deep breath and balled her fists at her sides. It suddenly occurred to her that she had no idea what to say. Thinking back on her day, she suddenly remembered something he had written for English class that had thoroughly impressed her, a surprisingly believable narrative about being a superhero.

"Hey, Clark, that was a really nice paper you wrote for English class." She stuttered out, trying not to appear nervous but most likely failing miserably, managing a meager smile. He looked away from the books he was retrieving from his locker and met her eyes. 'Gosh, they're beautiful.' Claire thought. When he smiled kindly at her, her heart raced yet again.

"Thank you, Claire. I enjoyed yours too." He said genuinely.

"Thanks." She said softly, still distracted by his beautiful eyes. She crashed down to earth when he politely cleared his throat.

"My parents are expecting me at home though, and it's quite a walk, so I have to go." He said apologetically, and started to walk off. He got most of the way down the hallway before Claire found her voice.

"Wait—Clark—do you need a ride?" Claire called after him before she could give the idea a second thought. He turned back around, looking surprised, as though no one had thought to give him such a simple act of kindness.

"I… I would appreciate that very much," Clark said softly, then quickly added, "if it wouldn't be too much trouble for you. I wouldn't want to make you late getting home."

Claire smiled warmly. "It's no trouble, Clark. I wouldn't have offered if it would have been an inconvenience." He smiled and waited for her to catch up to him.

"Then I would very much like a ride home." He said pleasantly. Claire smiled yet again and they walked down the hallway together in pleasant silence.


	2. Cauterizing the Heart

**Author's note: **I wasn't sure if I wanted to continue with this story, or if I would find the time, but because of the motivation my two lovely reviewers gave me, and all the other people that read my story, I stayed up an hour past my bedtime to finish this chapter. ;) A huge thanks to GreenVelvetCurtains and JenB for your support and questions. Jen, in answer to your question, the last chapter was set during high school, 11th grade to be precise. It was late when I wrote it and I thought I added something in the chapter about that detail but might have forgotten to.

I will try to update as often as I can, but that probably won't be a regular occurrence, and just a warning, those updates may be a bit rough around the edges, but I will try to edit them as best as I can. Thank you all so much, and please, feel free to leave any reviews! All questions or criticism are accepted! I love to hear from you guys.

**CHAPTER 2**

Clark and Claire's friendship quickly blossomed as they became increasingly comfortable around each other. Before they knew it, they were in a happy relationship. The bullies who had mercilessly taunted him for years instantly dropped Clark once he began seeing Claire, realizing that he was no longer an outcast. Clark kept his powers a secret from Claire, fearing that he would scare her off. He loved her too much to take such a risk.

They were both heartbroken when the end of their senior year came, because Claire decided to go to college in New York, but Clark stayed behind in Kansas to pursue employment. They agreed with heavy hearts that the best thing for the both of them would be to end their relationship. Claire often remembered the last words they exchanged.

_"I… I'm going to miss you so much." Claire said softly, trying in vain to keep the tears from falling from her eyes. They stood in Claire's backyard. It was nighttime, but the moon was full and bright enough to see each other clearly. It was summer, a month before Claire was to leave for college in The Big City. _

_Clark quickly wrapped his warm arms around her, crushing her face to his hard chest. "I'll miss you too, Claire-bear. So much." Clark murmured into her hair, using the pet name which she claimed to hate but secretly loved. She started to cry, with great heaving sobs that she tried to keep quiet. He gently rubbed her back. Claire struggled to regain control of herself. Once she let those few tears escape, it was as if a dam had burst. He loosened his grip on her and pulled slightly away so he could look at her eyes. Claire finally stifled her sobs, noticing the hardness of his eyes. He addressed her seriously. "But don't cry over me. I'll always be here if you need anything, anything at all." _

_Claire didn't realize it at the time, but there had been a double meaning to his words. Of course, he would be there as a shoulder to cry on or someone to vent anger to, but he also meant he would be there for her if the matter ever arose when she would need his special abilities to save her life. He looked deeply into her eyes, trying as hard as he could to convey with his eyes this double meaning, praying that she would understand. Praying that she would know that he had powers above what normal people could do. _

_Claire's eyes narrowed as she recognized that he was trying to tell her something. "What?" she asked, mildly apprehensively. The look in his eyes faded, but he quickly replaced his disappointment with a tender smile. He fished around in his pocket for a moment and pulled out a balled fist with bits of leather string poking out from between his fingers. Hooked to the leather was a pendant of some sorts with an S imprinted on one end. He gently grabbed Claire's hand and opened it and placed the pendant inside._

_"When my parents found me, I was holding this. Well, not actually this. I took the real thing to a metal shop and this is a copy of it. I still don't know who my parents are, and this is the only clue I have about them. I've tried so hard to find them." He paused to collect himself, as his voice had started to shake. "I want you to keep this, so whenever you're lost, or whenever you need to find me again, you'll have this to remember me by. And know that I'll always be wearing mine." He tugged on the leather cord he had around his neck and gave another half smile._

_Claire took a moment to memorize that smile, and to remember all of his other smiles, like the smile he gave when he was sad, or when he was trying not to laugh, or when he was proud. She memorized the way his dimples came out when he gave those smiles, how his cerulean blue eyes crinkled around the edges in such a friendly way. She memorized the innocent blink of his eyelashes and the pale freckles that dotted his skin from years spent working on his father's farm in the sun. She stored these precious memories in a very special spot in her heart, then sealed it off tight. She cauterized it like a bad wound so she could heal from missing him._

_After she had done all of this, after she sealed off her heart, she looked up at Clark for the last time with brave eyes. She gingerly plucked the pendant from his hand and placed it around her neck, like how he was wearing it. She took both his hands in hers. "Thank you Clark, so much. I won't forget."_

_Clark squeezed her hands gently, then ran his fingertips, gentle as a butterfly's wings, across her cheek. He smiled at her wistfully as he spoke. "I hope you have a wonderful life, Claire. Maybe if we're both really lucky, we'll see each other again. I wish you nothing but the best." _

_Then, he turned around and walked away, leaving Claire alone in the moonlit field behind her parent's house with her thoughts and her future._

From them on, Claire did not take dating very seriously, and reflecting back on her life as an adult, she realized that she had found "the one" in high school, in Clark. She considered herself lucky to have been in his presence for two wonderful years, and although she would have liked a man in her life currently, it would simply not do unless he was someone as incredible as Clark was.

She was actually rather happy living the single life, living in a nicely furnished apartment in downtown Metropolis. They city had been somewhat of a dump before, but Superman had really done a lot to help make it a better place. She no longer felt quite as scared as she had when she first moved there walking the streets alone. But, like any city, there were still criminals that remained, and average people who would surely turn into criminals. It would be impossible to eradicate the city of all the "bad guys".

She landed a job in the city as a copy editor for the Daily Planet, which was quite possibly one of the biggest businesses in newspapers worldwide (that's why they called it 'the planet'). She was very good at being a copy editor, as she was talented at pointing out mistakes and areas for improvement. She also helped with the layout of the paper on occasion and often collaborated with the photo journalist to come up with dynamic looking covers and page layouts.

But as happy as her life was, at the back of her mind, she knew she was missing something important. Although she never brought the idea into conscious thought or serious consideration, she felt a vague sense that her life was not yet complete.

Claire did not see hide nor hair of Clark for sixteen long years. As time passed, she forgot minor details of their relationship. But every night, just before she fell asleep, his face, forever imprinted in her mind's eye, would come back to haunt her like a friendly ghost. However, the reign of their silence was about to change, as events in the making would make their meeting inevitable.


	3. An Unexpected Confrontation

**Author's note: **You guys are awesome. Shoutout to my THREE reviewers for the previous chapter: .7982, GreenVelvetCurtains and JenB. Keep reviewing guys, it makes me feel so popular, and it's really motivating. But again, I have to stress that I might not be able to update as often as you like. Hope you enjoy the chapter!

**CHAPTER 3**

"—And Superman once again has saved the day, rescuing a shipwrecked crew from dangerous sea waters early this morning when their ship caught a bad wave and flipped. All nine crew members were rescued safely, but are being evaluated at the hospital for any possible injuries. When asked about his heroic rescue, Superman merely replied, 'I am doing what I can to help society.' What a dynamic man. Superman, we're so lucky to have you to keep New York and Metropolis safe. In other news…"

Claire was twirling a piece of hair around her finger absentmindedly as she listened to the four o'clock news radio broadcast and edited the cover page, which Jimmy, the photojournalist, had asked her to critique. She smiled to herself as she heard the good news. It seemed as though Superman never slept, with the amount of crime-fighting and life-saving he was doing these days. Her thoughts of admiration were interrupted when someone approached her desk.

"Claire, would you be so good as to look this over before I hand it in?" Jonelle, her good friend and coworker asked with her article for next week's edition in hand. Claire and Jonelle got along fine, but Jonelle was infamous for giving Claire her articles last minute and right before the end of the workday to look over, which understandably annoyed Claire a bit. She sighed but smiled and took the papers.

"Sure, Jonelle, no problem." She took a big gulp of her coffee and dove into the article. Claire was able to drink coffee at any and all hours of the day and not have any problems falling asleep afterward, so she was always seen with a cup in hand.

She made quick annotations in the margins and crossed things out, and when she was done with the piece it looked like someone had splattered red ink all over the paper. Claire was very precise, to the point where she could be perceived as a perfectionist, especially when it came to the articles for the Daily Planet, trying her hardest to make each article as good as it could be.

Critique from Claire was taken seriously, so getting handed back a paper from her that was covered with her writing was usually taken well by most reporters, and used as effective constructive criticism. By most, that meant every reporter in the office except for Lois Lane, who would get highly offended if even a comma was crossed out on her work. She was known for being very high strung and unforgiving—but perhaps when you're one of the best in your field and won a Pulitzer prize for you work, you're entitled to act that way.

Anyway, Claire walked back over to Jonelle's desk some time later and gave her back her article. Smiling gratefully, Jonelle took it and instantly began making the corrections. Claire took note of the time and began to pack up her things, seeing as it was time to leave. She began to fantasize thoughts of Chinese take-out and a nice long bubble bath as soon as she got home. However, her plans for take-out and bubble baths were interrupted when Perry White, her boss, approached her desk.

"Claire, I need you to stay late for the five fifteen meeting. I need someone to take notes because my regular secretary is sick." He addressed her, no greeting, no apology, just the facts. Internally, Claire could have cried, but she instead gave Perry a weary smile and said she'd be there. She plopped down her bag and coat and sat back down, massaging her temples. She suddenly felt very tired, the stress and lack of sleep of the week catching up to her all at once. She prayed that she wouldn't fall asleep during the meeting; because they were usually incredibly boring and Claire was already sleepy, she had a heightened chance of passing out in front of her boss.

Three agonizingly (and not surprisingly boring) hours later, Claire was finally released from the stuffy meeting room. She left her notes on Mr. White's desk like he had asked her to, then returned to her own desk.

Claire looked at her desktop clock and noticed that it was eight o'clock, three hours past she was scheduled to leave for the day. She gathered her coat and bag and bee-lined out of the office, in case Perry changed his mind and decided that she was needed for longer. She emerged into the crisp autumn air and breathed in deeply. The cold made her head less painful, but it still hurt and she still was very tired.

Because Claire's apartment was centrally located, and she was not very far from her workplace, she saved herself some gas and walked home most nights. She had a car, a dark blue four-door sedan, but only used it for long trips or when it was bitterly cold outside. Most nights she didn't mind the ten minute walk, but on this Friday night, due to her pulsing headache and strong desire to get in bed (forgetting her plans of Chinese and bubble baths), she reluctantly took the short way home that cut through a sketchy part of town to get home faster, knowing the dangers of taking that route. But, she had taken the 'sketch-route' several times before without even being approached, so she wasn't overly concerned.

She walked amongst three and four story buildings, mostly brick, with rusty escape fire exits hooked to the walls like metal caterpillars. The alleyways she went through were not well lit (because sensible people would not travel through this part of town) and littered with trash. Her authoritative heels clicked loudly in the silence.

For some reason she suddenly felt the hairs on the back of her neck prickle. She stopped walking and heard footfalls behind her. Her heart leaped and she instantly tensed up. But she did not turn around. She started walking again at a faster pace, and she heard her follower's pace speed up too. Her heart pounded and she feared it would give her emotions away.

She rounded a corner and ran right into someone. She looked up and began to apologize, but stopped when she saw the cunning look on his face, his mouth twisted into an evil smile. He looked up over Claire's shoulder and made eye contact with the man who was following her and smiled again.

"Princess, what are you doing out in these parts all alone?" The one in front of her drawled with alcohol saturated breath. Claire winced at the smell and took a step back from him.

"I'm going home. Excuse me." She said and tried to sidestep the man, who mimicked her motions to block her. Claire's heartbeat sped up, but she was also still cranky from her headache and exhaustion from a long day at work, so she snapped at him.

"Come on, loser, let me through!" She said with anger staining her voice. He smirked at her.

"Oh, feisty. This one'll be a lot of fun, I bet." He said to the man behind her. Suddenly, Claire truly realized what a horrible position she was in. She took another step back and was met with the other man's chest. But still, she did not let her fear show through.

"Let me through!" She yelled and pushed the man in front of her roughly. That seemed to push him over the edge. He whipped his hand up and slapped her across the face, hard. She looked down and saw blood trickle out of her mouth. The other one crushed her to the wall and punched her in the gut. She coughed up more blood.

"Stop—please!" Claire managed to squeak out around the blood in her mouth. Ignoring her pleas, she was punched again, harder this time. Claire felt something snap near her ribcage and doubled over and fell to the ground in pain, her mask of annoyance fading into pain and terror.

"You bitch. How dare you hit me. You're gonna get it real bad now, Princess." The man she had first hit sneered at her, leering over her now outwardly terrified face. He hit her again, causing her head to ricochet off the pavement.

"HELP! SOMEBODY HELP ME!" Claire mustered, screaming louder than she had in her entire life. She was in so much pain that the effort hurt her more.

"Shut up!" One of the men hissed. But it was too late. Someone was already standing in the alleyway, his red cape fluttering in the slight evening breeze.


	4. A Flight Over the City

**Author's Note: **Aren't I awful, leaving a cliffhanger like that? ;)Anywaythank you guys so much! Another couple of reviews, from a guest and GreenVelvetCurtains, and Miss Traductor, and even though her review was in Spanish, I think I translated well enough to understand what she meant, so thank you, you're very kind! These reviews are so motivating; it's so great to see people are as interested in Clark Kent as I am! Keep reviewing, you guys totally rock. Enjoy this chapter!

**CHAPTER 4**

The red cape lit a faint light bulb of hope in Claire's mind—there was only one person she could think of who wore a red cape, and he was a "good guy".

"Gentlemen, I suggest that you step away from the young woman." Superman commanded in a firm, but not aggressive voice. The two monsters who had been utterly confident not two seconds before were now quaking in their boots. Trembling, they each took several big steps away from Claire, who lay shaking on the ground, trying not to cry, using one hand in an attempt to staunch the bleeding on the back of her head where she had been pushed to the ground.

"I am going to bring you to the authorities and I'm sure they will be much kinder to you than I would have been." Superman continued, his voice trembling with suppressed disgust.

The two creeps looked at each other for a brief moment, then turned and ran in opposite directions. Superman only sighed, then darted to catch one with astounding speed. Claire opened her eyes and watched in awe as the red blur soared by her, then hurtled back the other way to catch the other man. In the span of less than half a second, he had both men by the scruff of their neck in one hand. He turned to address Claire.

"Are you alright?" He asked her, changing his tone to a much more gentle and caring voice.

"I'm fine." Claire said, using her best acting skills to cover up how much pain she truly was in. Superman looked unconvinced.

"I will be back in three seconds. Don't go anywhere. I will bring you to a hospital and make sure you receive proper treatment." He said. Maybe it was a trick of the light, but Claire could have sworn she saw him give a tiny half smile, as though he found her attempted façade amusing.

"Ok." Claire said, knowing that once Superman had a plan in his mind, there was literally nothing on Earth that could stop him (unless someone found a bit of Kryptonite). He gave her an affirming nod, and with that he shot up into the sky with blinding speed, taking the two squirming scumbags with him. True to his words, he fell back down out of the sky in three seconds (Claire counted) and landed with surprising grace. He knelt down beside where Claire was still laying. She had tried to sit up, but found it to be much too painful, as both her head and ribcage screamed in protest. He examined her face with tender blue eyes, frowning.

"Now, don't lie to me. Are you really alright?" He asked her again. Claire, in spite of her condition, still managed to blush. After a moment of silence, Claire reluctantly admitted not.

Superman gently brushed a tendril of hair out of her eyes. Claire felt her heart beating wildly out of control. He looked up into her eyes, and their cerulean hue beckoned to her memory… She knew who he was, his name was right on the tip of her tongue…

"I'll get you to the hospital as fast as I can." Superman quickly said, noticing that Claire had narrowed her brows in thought.

"Alright." Claire said. There was just something about him that was so familiar…

He gingerly helped her to her feet, and when she almost fell over merely trying to stand, he picked her up bridal style with the gentlest arms.

"Looks like we're flying tonight. Hold on tight." He told her. Obediently, she clung tightly to his muscular body. He was so gentle that Claire didn't even realize they were in the air until she felt a chilly breeze and looked around her to see nothing but evening sky. As she lay there in his arms, soaring hundreds of feet above the city, she felt compelled to say something.

"Um… thank you, for saving my life." Claire started. Superman looked at her strangely, as though it was like thanking the President for the affairs in another country; totally irrelevant.

"You're welcome. I… I couldn't lay idle when I heard you screaming." He murmured back to her, his warm breath rushing over her face. It smelled like spearmint.

"You heard me? Where were you?" Claire asked him, curious to know how wide his hearing range was.

"Gotham City." That was two towns over.

"That's so far away!" Claire exclaimed. "Well, at least, to hear something from."

"Yes… I guess I'm just… more in tune with some people than others." Superman guessed, laughing a little and smiling at her. Her heart beat faster.

"Oh." Always the queen of small talk.

"I'm sorry I couldn't get there sooner, I kept you waiting for too long. You're hurt very badly now, your ribs are broken and I should have been there to protect you." Claire was stunned. He had literally just saved her life, Superman was beating himself up for not doing it well enough?

"You saved my life; how could you have done any better than that? I'm so lucky you heard me and came when you did. I'll be fine, but I think you're being much too hard on yourself." Claire reassured him. He looked at her again with some unfathomable expression in his eyes.

"Perhaps I am. You're right." He said. Then there was an awkward silence.

"So… What is this made of?" Claire asked, tugging lightly on his suit. He chuckled.

"I actually don't know. It's some material from Krypton that doesn't even exist on Earth. But it seems to be fireproof and very durable. It also doesn't melt when I use my laser vision on it. It's very unique." He said, carefully examining the material as he spoke, which scared Claire a bit because they were still flying.

"Like you." Claire said before she could think it through. Perhaps it was another trick of the evening light, but Claire thought Superman's cheeks got a bit darker. He gave a tiny smile. Then he touched down in front of Metropolis Hospital.

"We're here." He said. He walked into the hospital, still carrying Claire, and addressed the woman at the front desk, who looked very flustered when Superman walked in, cape and all, carrying a young woman with bloodstains all over her.

"Go right to the second floor with her; that's the ER floor." She directed him. He nodded and politely thanked her. Claire suddenly felt very drowsy, falling victim to Superman's spearmint breath and the gentle swaying of his steps as he carried her. Although she was a bit nervous and still very upset from almost being mugged or raped, Superman calmed her. He just seemed like he knew what he was doing, and he was so self-assured that Claire couldn't help but fall limp in his arms, falling asleep and leaving him to deal with her problems.


	5. A Hunch

**Author's note:** Snow day: A.K.A. a perfect day to write. A huge thank you to everyone who read and reviewed! I don't want to keep you waiting for any longer, let's see what happens to Claire and Clark… (:

**CHAPTER 5**

_Claire was standing out in the middle of a moonlit field that looked so familiar to her that it was begging her to remember it. She was alone on the top of a small hill, the chilly breeze stirring her hair. A man climbed up over the hill to stand with her. His red cape and the 's' on his chest made it clear that he was Superman. He looked at her with his bright blue eyes and grasped her shoulders and shook her slightly._

"_Remember me! Remember me! Don't you know who I am?" He said, anguish in his voice. Suddenly his form began to burn away, and once the ashes cleared, there stood Clark Kent, wearing the exact same clothes as he had when she said goodbye to him._

"_Don't you remember me, Claire?" He asked._

~O~

Claire awoke with a start, ripping the covers off and putting both palms to her forehead. Her chest was soaked through with sweat and her heart was beating wildly like she had just ran a marathon.

She looked around and noted that she was hooked up to lots of beeping, whirring, and blinking machines and remembered why she was in the hospital. She remembered the brutal attack and how scared she was. She groaned and felt a few tears leak out before she forced herself to stop. She was safe now; tears wouldn't change anything. Then she remembered her dream. And Superman.

"Clark!" She exclaimed out loud. Of course; how didn't she recognize him? No wonder Superman had looked so familiar, he was the same person as her high school sweetheart! But then reality hit her, and she knew how miniscule the odds were that her old boyfriend could be a super hero.

"Miss Williams, glad to see you're awake, I'm going to check up on you, if that's alright." The black nurse said as she walked in. Her face looked friendly as she smiled at Claire. She struck Claire as a motherly type of person and Claire was instantly comfortable with her.

"Sure, please do." Claire said as she sat up. The nurse (her nametag said Holly) began noting things on her clipboard and changing out bags and such. She started asking Claire questions, probably testing her to see if she was suffering from a concussion.

"How are you feeling?"

"Good." Claire said.

"Do you feel more sleepy than normal?" She asked, clipboard in hand.

"No."

"Do you have a headache or feel nauseous?"

"I have a headache." Claire said, suddenly noticing the pulsating pain originating from where she had fallen.

"Ok. I'll be back with some pain meds. All your cuts and scraped have been cleaned. You have two fractures ribs, but they are not completely broken. I would encourage you to ice your ribs at twenty minute intervals, and it would also help if you practiced deep breathing exercises to prevent and pulmonary issues or lung collapse, which would be rare in your case, but it can't hurt to try to prevent it. As soon as I come back with those meds you'll be free to go. Three weeks away from work, though. You shouldn't strain yourself right after injuries like these." She started to walk out.

"Wait—I don't feel comfortable walking home and it's probably not safe for me to try driving. How am I getting home?" Claire interjected.

"Oh, yes, well as I'm sure you know, your parents are in D.C., but they have been informed and will come as quickly as they can. There's a young man waiting for you in the lobby, said his name was Clark? He told me you were friends. He offered to take you home and care for you." Holly said. Claire's heart soared.

"Yes, we're friends, thank you." Holly smiled at her then walked out. Claire was full of happy jitters. Clark was waiting for her downstairs! But he was Superman. What should she call him? What would she say? Should she tell him that she thinks he's Superman? Maybe he would take that phrase metaphorically and feel like she was merely complimenting him.

She had been living for so long without Clark, and now that there was the possibility that he could come back into her life, if only for one day, she would do everything in her power to not ruin it. Before any of her questions were answered, the nurse came back in with some paperwork and a few pill bottles.

After a few moments, Claire was free to go. Holly steadied her on her walk down to the lobby, because Claire's head felt like it was spinning and her ribcage still ached. But no amount of physical pain could take away from her happiness when she saw Clark. His back was to her, but she recognized him because of his dark hair and the way he stood with his weight shifted more on one foot than the other, arms crossed. Claire knew that he might have heard her coming, since there was a possibility that he could be Superman. He had super hearing, super sight, super everything. With a sinking dread she realized that if Clark Kent was Superman, he probably heard her scream his name when she first woke up.

"Mr. Kent? Claire is all ready to go." Holly said to Clark. He turned around to face them. Claire wanted to be absolutely certain that he was Superman, with his bright blue eyes as a dead giveaway, but her logical side warned her not to jump to conclusions.

Claire couldn't help analyzing the facts she already had, though. She had never seen that eye color on anybody else, ever. His dark hair was the same too—and his disguise as a normal person was pretty shabby in Claire's opinion; his heavily frames glasses weren't very effective in masking his face. Claire admitted that Superman and Clark had very similar, almost identical facial features.

"Hi, Claire." Clark said, giving her a tiny smile. Her stomach tingled, but then she remembered how much her ribs and head hurt and only managed a half smile in return.

"I'm assuming, Mr. Kent, that you will be taking care of her over the next few days?" Holly asked him.

"Yes, I will be." He responded. Claire was yet again filled with joy. She would get to see Clark again for a few more days! Holly began to give Clark instructions and informations for Claire's treatment and what to do should problems arise. Once she was all set to leave, Clark took Claire's arm and gently guided her to his car. Claire couldn't help but notice how hard and warm his arm was.

"I saw—I mean, I heard about what happened. How are you feeling?" Clark asked nervously.

Claire let his little slip pass, deciding for now to pretend that she didn't have a hunch that he had a secret identity. Probably it was not something he wanted just anybody to know, and although her heart was 100% certain that Clark Kent was the real Superman, she would not let her mind believe it until she had more solid proof than the color of his eyes and a crazy, drug-induced dream.

"I feel fine, I guess. As good as one can feel after getting beat up." Claire tried to joke. Clark laughed, probably to make light of the situation and pretend like Claire's joke was funny.

"This is my car. Let me know if you're uncomfortable in that seat, I can adjust it for you." Clark offered as he opened her door for her. He practically lowered Claire into her seat, (effortlessly, of course…) fearing that the movements would bother her ribs.

"Are you all set?" He asked her with another smile. She smiled too and said she was all set. Then he hurried around his little red car and got in the driver's seat.

"All right, Claire, tell me where I'm headed." He told her, hands on the wheel.

"Downtown." She said. He started the car and began the drive home.


End file.
